PM calls for bolder determination, more ambitious goals for rural development

18:24 | 19/10/2019

VGP – Prime Minister called on inferior levels to have “bolder determination” and set out “more ambitious goals” in new-style rural area building as room for development still remains vast.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc addresses conference reviewing 10-year implementation of the National Target Program (NTP) on new-style rural area building in Nam Dinh province on October 19, 2019. Photo: VGP

The Government chief emphasized the point while addressing a conference to review 10-year implementation of the National Target Program (NTP) on new-style rural area building in Nam Dinh on Saturday.

Comprehensive and historic achievements

Deployed to all 9,000 communes and 664 districts of 63 provinces and cities across the country, the NTP has helped mobilize aggregate strength of the whole political system and individuals to create “great, comprehensive and historic achievements” in rural development, Phuc highlighted.

Phuc underlined that with 19 categories of criteria, the NTP, adopted at the time of global financial crisis and economic recession, reflects Viet Nam’s strong determination as it requires huge resources for implementation.

Viet Nam has mobilized resources equivalent to US$10 billion per year for the development of aspects of new-style rural area building, bringing about significant changes in rural areas. Ten thousands of kilometers of rural roads have been built thanks to contribution of land, efforts and money by rural residents.

The NTP has helped consolidated and strengthen the position of Viet Nam as one of the top agricultural exporters in Asia, in which 10 agricultural products enjoying export value of over US$1 billion each, PM Phuc highlighted.

The income per capital rose to VND 35.9 million in 2018 from VND 9.7 million in 2009 while the poverty rate fell from 19% in 2019 down to 4% at present, Phuc added.

Given the past achievements, the Government chief challenges inferior levels to raise number of communes and districts meeting criteria of new-style rural area to 75% by 2025. Photo: VGP

Bolder determination, more ambitious goals

The Government chief emphasized that Viet Nam needs to have bolder determination and figure out more ambitious goals in rural development in the next five years given the achievements the country has gained since the introduction of the NTP.

Specifically, Phuc challenged inferior levels to raise the number of communes and districts meeting criteria of new-style rural area to 75% and 50%, respectively, by 2025.

By the end of September 2019, 4,665 communes across the country (52.4%) were recognized to have met the standards of a new-style rural area and 93 district-level units were recognized by the PM to have met the new-style rural area standards or to have completed the NRD tasks.

He also tasked inferior levels to increase the number of localities meeting criteria of new-style rural area to nine from the current two, namely Dong Nai and Nam Dinh./.